New trends are always popping up in all industries, leading to the evolvement of
practices. So how do you stay on top of all these changes in order to remain
current? It often feels like information overload, or just a little too hard to
try to keep up.

As PR professionals, or anyone trying to promote their brand, business or
themselves, you need to remain at the forefront of current trends if you want to
stay relevant and have a voice that stands out, in what DRPR like to refer to,
as 'the corporate jungle'.

So here are a few helpful hints to keep you on top of the trends:

1. Subscribe to PR e-mailed newsletters
There is a lot of insightful content in PR newsletters if you take the time to
read them. Whether daily, weekly, or monthly it is worth putting some time aside
to gain some more industry knowledge. (If you're reading this, then that's a
great start!)

2. Read PR blogs
There are hundreds of blogs about public relations. In actual fact DRPR was
recently listed as one of the best blogs in the PR industry, so have a quick
look at ours before you delve into the blogosphere.

3. Follow industry professionals on Twitter
With Twitter being so new, people often wonder where to start. Try following
some PR practitioners, journalists, key contacts and of course your clients and
their customers. Tweets from industry professionals tend to be full of useful or
interesting information that's relevant to others in the industry. It's a great
way to keep in the loop and involves minimal input, and just a little
maintenance.

4. Attend as many networking events and training seminars as possible
Meeting like minded people and others in the industry is a great way to gain new
ideas and inspiration through general chit chat. There are also a plethora of
(sometimes free) seminars and conferences out there. So head to a quick
breakfast seminar or networking event for a few hours every week and you'll reap
the rewards of being 'in the know'.

5. Keep abreast of current events
Being in PR we need to have a very broad focus. It is vital to be informed of
news and current events. Listen to radio broadcasts, check online news sites,
and watch the occasional morning show or current affairs program to make sure
you are aware of the context of current issues and news stories and events. This
helps when identifying news angles, general knowledge and understanding your
target audiences also.

Stay on top of current trends with these helpful hints, and who knows, you might
just end up being one of the trend-setters!